Portable communication devices, such as cellular telephones, are well known in the art and permit a user to communicate with a remote site. Typically, a user pays a fee to a communications service provider for access to a communication system in which the portable communication device operates. Cellular telephones, in particular, have become so popular that thieves have found it profitable to steal these devices for their own use or for sale to another user.
To discourage the thieves and to generally provide electronic security, most cellular telephones permit a user to enter a code to electronically lock and/or unlock a cellular telephone. Electronically locking a cellular telephone prohibits the cellular telephone from being used, such as to make or receive telephone calls and/or to enable or disable particular features of the cellular telephone. Electronically unlocking a cellular telephone permits the cellular telephone to be used, such as to make or receive telephone calls and/or to enable or disable particular features of the cellular telephone.
Several known techniques for generating an electronic lock code include: pressing a key on a keypad of the cellular telephone labeled "LOCK," pressing a key on a keypad of the cellular telephone labeled "FCN" (i.e. function) followed by pressing another key on the keypad of the cellular telephone labeled "5," for example, pressing a predetermined sequence of numerically labeled keys on a keypad of the cellular telephone, such as for example, by pressing the keys "5," "3," and "8," and selecting a lock feature from a menu presented in an electronic display.
One known technique for generating an electronic unlock code include: pressing a predetermined sequence of numerically labeled keys on a keypad of the cellular telephone, such as for example, by pressing the keys "5," "3," and "8." The predetermined sequence of numerically labeled keys may be the same or different for electronically locking and unlocking a cellular telephone.
Disadvantages using keys on a keypad of the cellular telephone to generate an electronic lock or an unlock code include: the electronic unlock and lock code may be used by someone other than the authorized user, if the electronic unlock and lock code is known to the unauthorized user; needing to press the predetermined number of keys; needing to remember the electronic unlock and lock code; needing to conceal the pressing of the predetermined number of keys at appropriate times; needing to generate the electronic unlock and lock code before and after, respectively, the cellular telephone is used, such as to make or receive telephone calls and/or to enable or disable particular features of the cellular telephone; and needing to press one key to power on the cellular phone followed by the predetermined number of keys to generate an electronic lock or an unlock code.
Outside of the art of portable communication devices, such as cellular telephones, fingerprint identification systems are known in the art as exemplified by U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,473,144, 5,493,621, 5,546,471, 5,426,708, 5,465,303, 5,467,403, and 5,493,621 and by a fingerprint verifier available from VLSI Vision Limited, 18805 Cox Avenue, Suite 260, Saratoga, Calif. 95070, USA. Fingerprint identification systems typically comprise a fingerprint scanner for scanning a fingerprint, a read only memory (ROM) lookup table for storing data representative of an authorized user's fingerprint, a digital signal processor (DSP) having an algorithm for comparing the scanned fingerprint with the data representing an authorized user's fingerprint. A fingerprint identification system advantageously provides unique personal user identification. However, fingerprint identification system have not been applied to portable communication devices.
Accordingly, there is a need for a portable communication device having a fingerprint identification system.